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A cleric of the Knowledge Domain who has reached level 6 has access to Channel Divinity: Read Thoughts:

At 6th level, you can use your Channel Divinity to read a creature's thoughts. You can then use your access to the creature’s mind to command it.

As an action, choose one creature that you can see within 60 feet of you. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature succeeds on the saving throw, you can’t use this feature on it again until you finish a long rest.

If the creature fails its save, you can read its surface thoughts (those foremost in its mind, reflecting its current emotions and what it is actively thinking about) when it is within 60 feet of you. This effect lasts for 1 minute.

During that time, you can use your action to end this effect and cast the suggestion spell on the creature without expending a spell slot. The target automatically fails its saving throw against the spell.

Read Thoughts has a range of 60 feet, but suggestion only has a range of 30 feet.

What happens if a cleric uses an action to end Read Thoughts while the target is more than 30 feet away? Does suggestion fail?

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    \$\begingroup\$ I think a related question (perhaps part of the same question) would be whether you need line of sight and whether the creature needs to hear and understand you, or whether this ability overrides those requirements as well. \$\endgroup\$
    – Ryan C. Thompson
    Commented Feb 3, 2019 at 6:35

2 Answers 2

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You can't cast suggestion

The ability says

During that time, you can use your action to end this effect and cast the suggestion spell on the creature without expending a spell slot. The target automatically fails its saving throw against the spell.

You need to be able to cast suggestion to do this. One of the requirements is being in 30 ft range. Read Thoughts does not remove any requirement, except that the target automatically fails suggestion's saving throw. If you choose to end it prematurely, you can't cast suggestion if the target is outside 30 ft.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Copying from my comment on the other answer: I think it might also be worth pointing out that there's not necessarily a reason to end Read Thoughts early if you don't meet the necessary conditions to cast suggestion. There are no other benefits to ending Read Thoughts this way other than casting suggestion without using a spell slot and having the target fail that save automatically. If you can't gain that benefit, why would you do so? \$\endgroup\$
    – V2Blast
    Commented Feb 3, 2019 at 9:32
  • \$\begingroup\$ The only reason I'm not 100% convinced of this is the sentence in the first paragraph of the feature: "You can then use your access to the creature’s mind to command it." This is clearly referring to the ability to cast suggestion, and seems to imply that the suggestion spell is cast through the mental link established by the feature, which in turn would mean that the target can be affected by the spell as long as the mental link is maintained. Unfortunately, as you say, it doesn't explicitly override any of the spell's targeting requirements, which I think leaves it ambiguous. \$\endgroup\$
    – Ryan C. Thompson
    Commented Feb 3, 2019 at 18:17
  • \$\begingroup\$ Yes, the suggestion is cast through the mental link, but you need to make the same somatic and verbal component. I think the mental link reference to the fact that you automatically fails the saving throw, because you've failed the saving throw against the ability. \$\endgroup\$
    – Vylix
    Commented Feb 3, 2019 at 18:37
  • \$\begingroup\$ "You need to be able to cast suggestion to do this." That wording could be a problem, as the way I read it Clerics do not get sugestion als a spell. Might be on some Domain Spell list, but I see nothing on the basic one: dndbeyond.com/… | \$\endgroup\$
    – Christopher
    Commented Apr 7, 2020 at 9:57
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Christopher the cleric in question is Knowledge Cleric, which got suggestion when they reach lv3. Read Thought also is granted on level 6, so no worry here. \$\endgroup\$
    – Vylix
    Commented Apr 7, 2020 at 10:00
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My interpretation would be that the suggestion effect will fizzle if you are outside of 30 ft. when you attempt to use it. It says you may cast the spell on the creature, but suggestion has a maximum range that is not explicitly overwritten.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour if you haven't already, and check out the help center for more guidance. \$\endgroup\$
    – V2Blast
    Commented Feb 3, 2019 at 7:19
  • \$\begingroup\$ I think it might also be worth pointing out that there's not necessarily a reason to end Read Thoughts early if you don't meet the necessary conditions to cast suggestion. There are no other benefits to ending Read Thoughts this way other than casting suggestion without using a spell slot and having the target fail that save automatically. If you can't gain that benefit, why would you do so? \$\endgroup\$
    – V2Blast
    Commented Feb 3, 2019 at 7:33
  • \$\begingroup\$ @V2Blast I mean, yeah, you're right. The only time this would be relevant would be if you went to do it, your DM told you that you couldn't, and then when you tried to change your mind they said, "NOPE, you said you were doing it, so read thoughts is gone and nothing happens." Which...would be kinda extreme from the DM imo \$\endgroup\$
    – Myrnedraith
    Commented Feb 3, 2019 at 14:35

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